The Cabinet

Scientific name: Brahmaea hearseyi Department: Entomology, image © California Academy of Sciences

Scientific name: Psychopyge elegans Locality: Morocco Age: Devonian Department: Invertebrate Zoology & Geology, image © California Academy of Sciences

Bowl, effigy (frog) with rattle / CAS 0227-0167 Culture: Maya Country: Guatemala; Site: Chalchitan Materials: Clay Dimensions (cm): Height = 7.8, Thickness = 0.6, Max Diam = 10.0 Department: Anthropology, image © California Academy of Sciences

Scientific name: Euchroma gigantea Locality: South America (Central Mexico to Chile/Argentina) Department: Entomology, image © Kathryn Whitney, California Academy of Sciences

Scientific name: Diceros bicornis  Locality: AFRICA: Kenya, 91 miles east of Nairobi, near upper reaches of Tana River, near Kiambere Collector: D. Witter Department: Ornithology & Mammalogy, image © California Academy of Sciences In context: Watch “Tough Skin, Fragile Future” (3:17) on our YouTube channel to learn how Academy scientists and exhibit conservators transported and prepared this important research specimen, donated to the Academy in 1952, for our recent exhibit, Skin. As habitat loss and poaching push the black rhinoceros closer to extinction in the wild, Academy scientists hope this specimen will inspire visitors and deepen their understanding of today's most pressing conservation challenges. 

Scientific name: Dorcus titanus (male) Department: Preserved specimen from the Steinhart Aquarium; image © Maggie West in collaboration with NightLife

Effigy jar (coati) / CAS 0227-0030 Culture: Maya Country: Guatemala; Site: Chalchitan Materials: Clay; pigment Dimensions (cm): Height = 8.1, Width = 6.7, Thickness = 0.4, Rim Diam = 4.5, Length = 8.8 Department: Anthropology, image © California Academy of Sciences

Scientific name: Acherontia atropos Locality: Sumatra, Indonesia Department: Entomology, image © California Academy of Sciences

Scientific name: Anas clypeata Higher geography: North America, USA, California Department: Ornithology & Mammalogy, image © California Academy of Sciences

(Editorial note: Yes, it’s a real fossil! The Monte Bolca site this crab was collected from is considered a Lagerstätte, a “site that contains exquisitely-preserved fossils, typically representing a diversity of organisms.”)

Scientific name: Argema mimosae Department: Preserved specimen from the Steinhart Aquarium; image © Maggie West in collaboration with NightLife

Scientific name: Buteo jamaicensis Higher Geography: North America Department: Ornithology & Mammalogy, image © California Academy of Sciences

Scientific name: Malea ringens Locality: Baja California, Mexico Age: Pliocene Department: Invertebrate Zoology & Geology, image © California Academy of Sciences

Scientific name: Canis dirus Age: Pleistocene Locality: California, USA, North America Department: Invertebrate Zoology & Geology, image © California Academy of Sciences

Scientific name: Phyllium giganteum Locality: West Malaysia, Pahang State, Kameron Highlands Department: Entomology, image © California Academy of Science

Scientific name: Quartz after coral (Coral fossils that have “filled in” with quartz/chalcedony) Locality: Florida Age: Miocene Department: Invertebrate Zoology & Geology, image © California Academy of Sciences

Scientific name: Exaerete sp. Locality: Rondonia, Brazil Collector: A. Sourakov Department: Entomology, image © Kathryn Whitney, California Academy of Sciences